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Recent Hurricanes: How to Help

Volunteerism and Charity

Volunteerism in Hurricane-Affected Areas

The Office of The Surgeon General and the Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness are in the process of mobilizing and identifying health care professionals and relief personnel to assist in hurricane relief efforts. As our nation and global community is now aware, the health care needs resulting from recent hurricanes are critical. General information about the HHS response to recent hurricanes at http://www.hhs.gov/emergency/hurricane.html.

An online service that physicians and other health professionals can use to access prescription medication records for evacuees of Hurricane Katrina is now available. State, County, and specialty medical societies with members caring for Katrina evacuees are urged to direct physicians to www.KatrinaHealth.org to access evacuees' medication histories, allergy information, and other available data. As part of a public and private sector coalition, the American Medical Association (AMA) is providing physician credentialing and authentication services in the effort. To receive a login and password for the Web tool, physicians should call the AMA's Unified Service Center at 800-262-3211. Physicians will be asked specific questions to validate their identity and credentials. After answering these questions, they will be given a login and password with which they can access network. The Hurricane Relief Prescription Network has a support center for information regarding technical issues in using the system. Call the KatrinaHealth.org Support Center at 800-375-0943, ext. 504, if you have technical questions.

Since the recent hurricanes have devastated the Gulf Coast, physicians from the American College of Physicians have been donating their services to treat the people whose lives have been affected. They are reporting that there is a lack of general health information written at an appropriate reading level that explains the importance of hand washing, not sharing medicine, and other important health issues. To overcome some of the challenges facing the people who are now living in shelters, the ACP Foundation, working with health literacy experts and physicians, created a 1-page handout for volunteers to use with shelter residents. HEALTH TiPS for Healthy Shelter Living is written at a third grade reading level, is available in English and Spanish, and is available in plain text or with illustrations. Please download and distribute appropriately: http://foundation.acponline.org/sheltertips/.

Charitable Giving

Those interested in learning about charitable organizations can obtain information about specific charities from Charity Navigator. Charity Navigator is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization under the internal Revenue Code that that helps those interested in contributing to charitable organizations make intelligent giving decisions by providing information on over 3500 charities and evaluations of the financial health of each of these charities. Charity Navigator does not accept contributions from any of the charities the organization evaluates.

The Network for Good is a non-profit organization that helps those interested to secure online donations, explore volunteer opportunities, and learn more.

Informational Resources

The recent hurricane in the Gulf Coast has prompted charity and intellectual curiosity among many physicians. To support the desire to help, Annals of Internal Medicine and the American College of Physicians have assembled information to assist physicians and others learn what they can do to help and how they can prepare themselves to help in future situations. We direct those who wish to learn about the clinical conditions that threaten the well-being of people in affected areas to several ACP-related and non–ACP-related resources that provide some of this information.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Web site has comprehensive hurricane-related information.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Web site also has valuable information.

The American Red Cross Web site also provides useful information.

Alabama Department of Public Health: www.adph.org

Alabama Emergency Management Agency: www.ema.Alabama.gov

Florida Department of Health: www.doh.state.fl.us

Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals: www.dhh.louisiana.gov

Louisiana State Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness: www.ohsep.louisiana.gov

Mississippi Emergency Management System: www.msema.org

Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency: www.pema.state.pa.us

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: www.os.dhhs.gov

Returning Home after a Hurricane - Health Information from the CDC

The CDC has developed a helpful list for persons returning to the hurricane-affected area, including tips for stopping mold and for protecting yourself from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Information about Clinical Concerns in Hurricane-Affected Areas

Animal Bites:

• The PIER module on Mammalian Bites addresses screening, diagnostic, and therapeutic strategies. The module includes links to several patient information resources on animal bites and rabies.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Web site contains information about rabies for the public and for clinicians.
• The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy has additional information about snakebites.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning:

• The PIER module on Carbon Monoxide poisoning addresses screening, diagnosis, and therapy.

Dehydration and Fluid Management:

• The Family Practice notebook has information about management of hypernatremia and dehydration in adults and information about fluid management in children.

Hyperthermia:

• The PIER module on Hyperthermia addresses screening, diagnostic, and therapeutic strategies. The module includes links to several patient information sites about hyperthermia.

Infectious Diseases:

Diarrheal Diseases:

• A chapter in the ACP Medicine textbook provides a comprehensive overview of diarrheal diseases, including information on the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diarrhea.


• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides information about diarrheal illness caused by norovirus.

Hepatitis A:

• The PIER module on Hepatitis A addresses screening, diagnostic, and therapeutic strategies. The module includes links to several patient information resources about Hepatitis A.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) Web site provides material with a public health perspective in a form understandable by the general public. WHO information about hepatitis A.
• The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) provides information about hepatitis A that includes general information about the disease and its prevention for the public, health professionals, and travelers.

Tetanus:

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides information about the clinical features and management of tetanus, including passive postexposure immunization.

West Nile Virus:

• The PIER module on West Nile Virus addresses screening, diagnostic, and therapeutic strategies. It also includes links to several patient information resources about West Nile Virus.
• Some Annals of Internal Medicine articles that provide information on West Nile Virus:
• Clinical Characteristics and Functional Outcomes of West Nile Fever by Watson and colleagues (7 September 2004)
• West Nile Virus: Pathogenesis and Therapeutic Options by Gea-Banacloche and colleagues (6 April 2004)
• West Nile Virus: A Primer for the Clinician by Petersen and colleagues (6 August 2002)

Poisonings:

• The U.S. National Poison Hotline can answer questions about poisonings, including management of snakebites: 800-222-1222.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD):

• The National Center for PTSD has a useful section on Disasters and Terrorism. It includes frequently asked questions and answers about emotional and psychological responses to disasters, a general fact sheet for survivors of human-caused and natural disasters, sections on children’s response to trauma and managing grief after trauma, and an interesting section on phases of traumatic stress reactions in disasters and on working with trauma survivors that addresses self-care issues for people helping disaster survivors.
• The PIER module on PTSD addresses screening, diagnostic, and therapeutic strategies. It also includes links to several patient information resources relevant to psychological responses to trauma.

Sexual Assault:

• The PIER module on Sexual Assault addresses diagnosis, therapy, and follow-up. The module also has links to multiple resources to victims of assault.

Traumatic Injuries:

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Web site contains information about brain injuries for the public and for clinicians.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Web site contains information about traumatic injuries (fractures, burns, lacerations, and crush injuries) for the public and for clinicians.

Wound Infection and Management:

• The PIER module on Cellulitis and Soft Tissue Infections addresses screening, diagnostic, and therapeutic strategies. The module includes a direct link to the National Library of Medicine’s patient information on cellulitis.
• The University of Iowa Family Practice handbook has information about general principles of wound management.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Web site has information about Vibrio vulnificus wound infections.

Infection Control

Environmental sanitation in emergencies:

• The World Health Organization (WHO) Web site provides material with a public health perspective in a form understandable by the general public. WHO information about environmental sanitation in emergencies.

Mosquito control:

• This link provides access to a 1998 Annals of Internal Medicine review article intended to provide clinicians with information about safe and effective ways to prevent mosquito bites.

Volunteerism in General

An American College of Physicians brochure contains general information about medical volunteering.

The Volunteerism Subcommittee of the American College of Physicians has compiled a list of general volunteer opportunities for physicians interested in volunteering their services.

Annals invites health care professionals involved in the care of victims and refugees to share their experiences and perspectives using Annals' Hurricane Katrina message board.